The Garda Anti-Corruption Unit is investigating the circulation of internal WhatsApp messages amongst gardaí which contained false allegations and information about two female officers.
Deputy Commissioner Anne Marie McMahon told the Policing Authority this afternoon that "false, insensitive and inaccurate" messages were circulated which she described as "very offensive and hurtful".
Deputy Commissioner McMahon said it was "completely unacceptable" that any member of the gardaí would think it was "okay" to do that in relation to a colleague.
The victim she said was in a "helpless and hopeless situation".
The Deputy Commissioner said the gardaí did not know how many people were involved, but that an investigation had commenced to establish who originated and who circulated these messages.
The chair of the Policing Authority said that "there seems to be something out of alignment if a publicly funded device for policing duties can be used and the veil of secrecy and right to privacy used to transmit messages of this kind".
Bob Collins also said he was concerned that retired members of the gardaí also seem to have been involved.
Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon also accepted that the fact that just eight female gardaí had come forward with complaints about the activities of their colleagues towards them was not an accurate reflection of the extent of the problem.
However, she said there were policies and procedures in place for people to come forward and the fact that more gardaí were being suspended and prosecuted in the courts shows the issue is being taken seriously and addressed.
